Contact assembly



1933- L. o PARKER CONTACT ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 5, 1956 lNV TOR slaw/ arker goo ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 18, 1938 2,133,472

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTACT ASSEMBLY Leslie 0. Parker, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application August 3, 1936, Serial No. 94,010

2 Claims. (Cl. 20059) This invention relates to improvements in a secured to the shaft or post by a nut 25 discircuit controlling device, and more particularly posed in the rece 2|, The threading of the to a fixed Contact asse bly to b used n nut 25 upon the threaded end of the post 24 nection with a horn button assembly similar to forces the hub casting upon the tapered portion 5 that shown in my Patent No. 1,983,095, issued of the post. The casting 20 is prevented from 5 December 4, 1934, for Contact assembly. rotating about the post by a key 26, indicated by The particular feature to which this invention dotted lines in Fig. 2. relates is a fixed contact assembly adapted to be The recess 2| forms a housing for a soft rubplaced within the steering column which 00- her horn button 30 having a bottom annular operates with a movable cont t recipr in flange 3!. The button 30 is retained within the 0 through and rotatable with the steering wheel housing by a depending annular flange 32 of a hub. cover plate 33 that is secured to the hub casting An jec f the presentinventienis provide 20. The horn button 30 supports or carries a a contact member f rm d n a p ul r on hair pin member 34 having legs 35 and 36. These uration from a single blank of metal to provide le are guided in diametrically disposed pas- 15 a contact surface, having anchoring elements insages provided by the hub casting 20. The horn t ral th r with so that wh n f rc d n a s f button is further provided with a cover 31 of stiff e e resilient rubber bushing, it is q y and material, such as celluloid or any other suitable easily Secured in Operative Position e o st material, so that the button 30 may be depressed tion of the anchoring elements be u that without deformation thereof beyond a certain 20 the resiliency of the bushing will clamp the eleoi t, Thu the h ir in 34 is reciprocally movments y lda y to hold th contac m mb r n able along the axis of the hub 20 and is resiliently assembled relation With the bushin urged to the retracted position by the inherent Another object of the invention is to provide resiliency of the button 30. 2.5 a contact assembly of a construction which is Th teering column, supporting the shaft 24,

p e and yet Stu y O Const t on, read y includes a tubular member 40 encircling the d eeOnOmieellY ur d and eas ly shaft and telescopically engaging a portion 4| mounted within a tubular housing. of the hub casting 20. The member 40 is de- Fll Objects a advantages of t e presformed intermediate its ends to provide detents 3i ent invention will be app from e fOlIOW- or ribs 42 and 43. A lug 44 is struck inwardly mg description, reference being had to t at the bottom or near the lower end of one of Compenying w g wherein a preferred mthe ribs, in this instance the rib 43, to provide a bodiment of the present invention is clearly stop for a contact assembly 45.

shown. In the present instance, the contact assembly In the drawing: 45 includes a bushing preferably of soft, fleX- 35 Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a ible resilient rubber material. The bushing is steering p yin he p s invention. preferably formed with a plurality of peripheral Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a steering column longitudinal grooves 5|, an annular groove 52 embodying the present invention taken substanformed on one end thereof, a through passage to tially on line 22 of Fig. 1. 53 and a plurality of spaced recesses or pockets 0 Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on line 33 54. This bushing supports an annular contact of Fig. 2. member 55 provided with a plurality of anchor- Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of ing elements or prongs 56 having rounded en- Fig. 3. larged head portions 51, as clearly shown in Figs.

45 Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail on an enlarged 5 and 6. The purpose of the rounded portion on 45 scale showing the end of a prong of the contact the prongs is to facilitate the assembly of the member and a portion of the resilient member contact member 55 with the bushing 50. One prior to the assembly thereof. of the prongs 56 is preferably provided with an Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating aperture through which is threaded a bared end 50 the manner in which the contact member is held of an insulated conductor 58, after which the 50 to the resilient bus bared end is soldered to the prong, as indicated Referring to the drawing 2|] designates a hub at 59. casting provided with a central recess 2| and a In assembling the contact member 55 to the central bore 22 which fits upon a tapered end 23 bushing 50, the free end of the conductor 58 is 55 of a steering shaft 24. The hub casting 2| is first threaded through the through passage 53. 55

Then the member 55 is attached to the resilient bushing byforcing one of the heads into the through passage and other into the pockets. Since the bushing is made of resilient material capable of being distorted to permit insertions of the prongs 56, the prongs are easily forced intotheir respective receiving through passage and recesses until the member 55 is properly positioned within the annular groove 53. When the annular member is properly positioned in the annular groove, the outer surface of the member 55 should be flush with the end surface of the bushing. The contact member is prevented from being accidentally removed from the bushing due to the fact that the resiliency of the bushing will cause the walls of the through passage and the walls of the recesses or pockets to bear against the prongs 56 and yieldably maintain the contact member 55 in an assembled relation with the bushing. The prongs may be easily removed from the bushing by applying sufficient pull on the contact member to pull the prongs from the through passage and the pockets.

The contact assembly thus formed may be readily positioned in the tubular member or steering column 55, as shown in Fig. 2. When the assembly is in position, the resilient bushing 50 will surround the shaft or post 24 and the grooves 5! will receive their respective detent or rib 42 and 43, said ribs operating to prevent the whole contact assembly from rotating within the tubular member 45. The stop or lug 55 prevents the contact assembly from sliding to the bottom of the tubular member 20. By this arrangement the contact assembly will thereby be properly insulated from all of the elements of the steering column structure and the contact surface of the member 55 will be adjacent the ends of the arms 35 and 35 of the hair pin structure 34 which is grounded and operable to close a circuit through a sound signal and a current source.

It is obvious from the structure shown in Fig. 2 the operation will be readily understood. The movable; contact or hair pin 34 is grounded through its connection with the hub casting of the steering wheel. When the button is depressed one or both of the arms and 36 will engage the annular contact member 55, no matter what position the steering wheel, to close a circuit. The contact member 55 is connected to the current source through the insulated conductor 58 which is electrically connected to one of the prongs 55 carried by the contact member, when the pressure on the button is released the resiliency of the button will cause the arms 35 and 35 to be separated from the contact member 55, and thus open the circuit.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In an electrical connector, the combination comprising a resilient bushing formed with a plurality of spaced recesses; an annular contact member having a plurality of prongs provided with head-portions of greater dimensions than the recesses, there being a prong received by each recess, the resiliency of the bushing clamping the prongs against the inner walls of the recesses yieldingly to hold the contact member and bushing in assembled relation.

2. In an electrical connector, the combination comprising a resilient bushing formed with a longitudinal passage and a plurality of spaced recesses; an annular contact member having a plurality of prongs provided with head portions of greater dimensions than the passage and the recesses, one of the prongs extending into the passage and others extending into the recesses, the resiliency of the bushing clamping the prongs against the inner walls of the passage and of the recesses yieldably to hold the contact member in an assembled relation with the bushing; and an insulated conductor having a stripped end extending into the passage, said stripped end being electrically connected with the prong within the passage.

LESLIE O. PARKER. 

